Sex, Rett Og Reformasjon


Book Description

Based on legislation and legal practice from the period c. 1250-1600 the book takes issue with the most important viewpoints in earlier research by early modernists: that the Reformation represented a watershed in a development characterized by greater criminalisation of sexual acts, increase in the severity of sentences and deterioration of the position of women. According to this study, in principle all or mostly all factors were already in place in the Middle Ages. In Norwegian historiography the period investigated is characterized by paucity of sources, and the period has tended to fall between two stools, respectively the medievalist and the early modernist. The ambition of this book has been to bridge the gap.




Traders, Ties and Tensions


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Incest in Sweden, 1680–1940


Book Description

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. In early modern Sweden, if a man and his deceased wife's sister were found guilty of engaging in sexual intercourse they would be sentenced to death by beheading. Today the same relationship is not even illegal. Covering the period 1680–1940, this book analyses both incest crimes and applications for dispensation to marry, revealing the norms underpinning Swedish society’s shifting attitudes to incestuous relations and comparing them with developments in other European countries. It demonstrates that, even though the debate on incest has been dominated by religious, moral and – in due course – medical notions, the values that actually determined the outcome of incest cases were frequently of quite a different character.




Ægteskab i Norden fra Saxo til i dag


Book Description

Dansk, norsk, svensk og engelsk tekst.







Toward the Light


Book Description

The sub-title of this deeply moving and compelling work defines it as a message to mankind from the transcendental world thus placing it firmly among the very few books which are held to be of supernatural origin. 'Toward the Light' is about love and forgiveness. It is about peace and the unification of a divided humanity, and about achieving a more complete understanding of ourselves. For some this book will be controversial reading. It explains such things as the true nature of Good and Evil; the mystery of Reincarnation; and the consequences of the Law of Reciprocal Action (The Law of Karma). It answers theological questions such as how can we reconcile belief in God who is all-good and all-powerful with the existence of a world that contains so much that is incontestably evil? It is, quite simply, a work of revealed knowledge that bears on the fundamental problems of life -- and upon the reality of death. The book offers a message to all -- regardless of race, religion or creed. All that is asked is that the reader should keep an open mind and be guided by his or her conscience. That being the case, 'Toward the Light' will illuminate the spirit of all who open themselves to its message, for its message is truly a gift of love to every human being.




Fornaldarsagaerne


Book Description




The Older Gulathing Law


Book Description

The Gulathing Law regulates relations between the social classes, the king and his officers, the clergy, and the peasantry. Parts of the law appear to be a social contract between two parties: on the one hand the people, on the other hand the church and the king. This new edition, in modern English, contains many references to research that has been carried out since the appearance of previous editions in 1935 and 1981. In the Gulathing Law, differing interests are being balanced, and procedures described for solving conflicts. Personal rights are defined, and scales of fines and compensation are set up, graded according to the gravity of the insult, offence, and the social status of the persons involved. Large parts of the law text mirror the internal conditions in the farming community of Western Norway in the High Middle Ages; economic transactions, disputes, damage to life and property, and theft. Accompanied by a translator’s introduction and a commentary essay which place the Gulathing Law in a theological and church history perspective, this volume will be useful for both students and specialists of medieval Norwegian legal history and medieval Scandinavian law.




Nordic Inheritance Law through the Ages


Book Description

Nordic Inheritance Law through the Ages – Spaces of Action and Legal Strategies explores the significance of inheritance law from medieval times to the present through topical and in-depth studies that bring life to historical and contemporary inheritance practices. The contributions cover three themes: status of persons and options in the process of property devolution; wills, gift-giving and legal disputes as means to shape the working of the law; processes of inheritance legislation. The authors focus on instances where legal strategies of various actors particularly reveal inheritance law as a contested and yet constrained space of action, and somewhat surprisingly show similar solutions to family law issues dealt with in other Western European countries. Contributors are: Simone Abram, Gitte Meldgaard Abrahamsen, Per Andersen, Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, John Asland, Knut Dørum, Thomas Eeg, Ian Peter Grohse, Marianne Holdgaard, Astrid Mellem Johnsen, Már Jónsson, Mia Korpiola, Gabriela Bjarne Larsson, Auður Magnúsdóttir, Bodil Selmer, Helle I. M. Sigh, and Miriam Tveit.




Scandinavian Penal History, Culture and Prison Practice


Book Description

This book draws on historical and cross-disciplinary studies to critically examine penal practices in Scandinavia. The Nordic countries are often hailed by international observers as ‘model societies’, with egalitarian welfare policies, low rates of poverty, humane social policies and human rights oriented internal agendas. This book, however, paints a much more nuanced picture of the welfare policies, ideologies and social control in strong centralistic states. Based on extensive new empirical data, leading Nordic and international scholars discuss the relationship between prison conditions in Scandinavia and Scandinavian social policy more generally, and argue that it is not always liberating and constructive to be embraced by a powerful welfare state. This book is essential reading for researchers of state punishment in Scandinavia, and it is highly relevant for anyone interested in the ‘Nordic Model’ of social policy.